ok , i admit i had a bad attitude about this film from the start .
a romantic comedy about the trials and tribulations of single working parents ?
with a couple of incredibly cute kids thrown in for good measure ?
yuck .
but it’s not really too bad .
it has a lot working against it , for me at least .
in addition to the above , it is typical of a lot of recent movies in that it is really just a glorified made-for-tv movie , but longer and with bigger stars , and you have to pay to see it .
it does win you over , though , even if it is painfully predictable .
just think about it : two single parents , with their cute kids , are thrown together due to a missed field trip .
through a day of near disasters , they cont inually meet , get in one another’s way , cause trouble for one another , and generally insult one another at every opportunity .
in fact , they hate each other so much that we know that they are , or soon will be , in love .
the only people who hate each other more than lovers are married couples .
so this film is predictable , just as the screwball comedies of the classical hollywood cinema were predictable ( and the screwball genre is obviously hoffman’s model for this film ) .
will they get fired from their yuppie jobs ?
will they make the big soccer game that is so important to their kids ?
will pfeiffer realize what a jerk her ex-husband , a drummer for bruce springsteen , really is ( aren’t they all ? ) ?
will they finally kiss ?
well , what do you expect ?
but there is a certain amount of satisfaction in having our expectations fulfilled , especially when it is done with as much humour , along with a lack of sticky sentimentality , as it is in this film .
pfeiffer and clooney have a certain chemistry together that is surprisingly charming , and the kids are neither shoved into the background nor allowed to steal the show .
one word of caution , though .
this film is being billed in some places as a ” family ” movie .
don’t let that stop you .
however , i think most kids , especially boys , would be pretty bored by this move .
after all , nobody gets killed and there are no explosions .
all in all , a good , non-offensive date movie .
the flying inkpot rating system : * wait for the tv2 broadcast .
* * a little creaky , but still better than staying at home with gotcha !
* * * pretty good , bring a friend .
* * * * amazing , potent stuff .
* * * * * perfection .
see it twice .